Become a member to fight pollution in Coastal Alabama.
Mobile Baykeeper has spent over 25 years developing partnerships to accomplish our mission to defend and revive the health of the waters of Coastal Alabama.
This work includes:
-Patrolling our waterways. Our Patrol Team collects water samples around the watershed to monitor for fecal pollution through our Swim Where It's Monitored program and provides the data for free so residents know when and where it's safe to swim, fish, and play. Patrol also responds to citizen concerns that our members see in their day-to-day lives. Funding from members provides the flexibility to respond to these issues as they happen.
-Sewage Spill monitoring. Through a combination of our regular SWIM water quality monitoring, stormwater inspections, and more, we detect and track sewage spills on a regular basis. Mobile Baykeeper advocates for more resources to repair and replace damaged and aging sewer infrastructure. We do this by working with utility providers to find solutions to problems associated with sewage collection systems. When utilities won’t work with us, we may use the rule of law to hold them accountable.
-Coal Ash removal. Sitting 20 miles north of Downtown Mobile on the Mobile River in the heavily biodiverse Mobile-Tensaw River Delta sits 21 million tons of toxic coal ash in Alabama Power's unlined pit at Plant Barry. Alabama Power’s own reporting shows that they are already leaking 806% the legal limit of arsenic into our groundwater. Because of Plant Barry's location directly on the Mobile River in the middle of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, the coal ash stored there threatens nearby communities and our way of life - swimming, fishing, hunting, and boating on these waters. Click here to learn more.
-Oyster Garden Restoration. As natural filter-feeders and infrastructure in our waters, oysters are impact multipliers for improving water quality, stabilizing shorelines, and increasing nursery habitat for young marine life. Mobile Baykeeper plans to revive Mobile Bay’s oyster populations by growing young oysters in “gardens,” or grid-like containers that provide structure for oyster spat to grow on, that will be hung on volunteers’ piers in Mobile and Baldwin counties. These oysters will grow in the gardens over the next several years and be introduced as adults to larger reefs designated for restoration.
-Seagrass Bed Restoration. Seagrass provides food and shelter to many organisms. Redfish, crabs, shrimp, tarpon, and others use seagrass as nurseries. Seagrass offers ecosystem benefits such as sediment stabilization, nutrient filtration, and carbon dioxide absorption which provides better water quality, clarity, and microclimate regulation. Construction and fertilizer runoff sources will need to be mitigated for seagrass restoration to improve. Recreation and fishery industries depend on healthy habitats, and seagrass restoration is a critical first step.
-Local and state government oversight. Mobile Baykeeper partners with state and local governmental agencies to ensure positive policy improvements and protections that impact public health, quality of life, and the environment. Your support allows us to meet with decision makers, industry leaders, and other partners as we find issues that affect clean water and quality of life so that we may present well-researched and data-driven appeals to back our concerns while working with these partners to find appropriate solutions to preserve and protect our natural resources.
-Education. Creating a generation of environmental advocates begins by creating meaningful experiences with the watershed and students living in Coastal Alabama through SWAMP (Strategic Watershed Awareness and Monitoring Program). Your support helps us develop materials, presentations, and excursions that connect kids to their environment, while developing skills that allow students to be a part of the solution to their ecosystem's issues.
-Engaging Coastal Communities. The waters of Coastal Alabama cannot speak for themselves as our communities make choices that affect them profoundly. Mobile Baykeeper is working to engage all residents of Coastal Alabama in our efforts to protect our natural resources. When a critical mass of the citizens of Coastal Alabama are making decisions to defend and revive their home waters, we will know that we are successful.
-Building Capacity. We want to do more for the Watershed, and we know you want us to do more for the Watershed! Your support can help us find new staff members to bolster our capabilities, expand our research, and further our ability to find and correct the issues affecting our Watershed.
Together, we can truly make a difference and ensure our waterways are safe to swim, fish, and play today and for future generations.